A wide variety of medical conditions and disorders have been successfully treated using implantable medical devices. Such implantable devices include, but are not limited to, stimulators or pulse generators, pacemakers, and defibrillators.
It is often desirable to electrically couple an implantable medical device to a lead having a plurality of electrodes disposed thereon so that the device may deliver electrical stimulation to a site within the body. A conventional lead includes a plurality of elongate conductors or wires covered by insulation. At a distal end of the lead, each conductor is connected to an exposed (i.e., non-insulated) electrode, or electrode contact. Each electrode contact is configured to provide an electrical interface with the tissue that is to be stimulated.
At a proximal end of a conventional lead, each conductor is connected to an exposed terminal contact. The exposed terminal contacts are configured to provide an electrical interface with the implantable device, or with a connector of an extension lead that connects with the implantable device. To this end, the implantable device may include a number of feedthroughs configured to facilitate electrical connection with each of the terminal contacts.
However, the number of electrodes that may be disposed on a conventional lead is often limited by the finite number of feedthroughs that may be included within the implantable device. Moreover, the number of electrodes that may be disposed on a conventional lead is limited by the number of wires that can be reliably and cost effectively fit and manufactured into the lead.